


Nine owls out of ten

by Johnny_kun



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Child Yachi Hitoka, Endgame OT3, Kuroo Tetsurou is a Tease, Kuroo can sing, Kuroo has a PhD, Kuroo loves plants, M/M, Minor Character Death, Neighbors, Pro Volleyball Player Bokuto Koutarou, Single Parents, Threesome - M/M/M, Tsukishima Kei is Bad at Feelings, Tsukki getting the love he desrves, adorable baby Yachi, mature for some swearing and sexual hints
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-03
Updated: 2020-07-13
Packaged: 2021-03-05 02:33:45
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 19,309
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25057021
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Johnny_kun/pseuds/Johnny_kun
Summary: Life is a funny thing, and Kei wasn't the biggest fan of funny. One moment he was digging up bones in China and the next - he was learning to change diapers. Then, he had to move and of course, he managed to land a pair of annoying neighbors, who never left him alone. Turns out, though, that life is, indeed, a funny thing. And secretly, deep down, Kei loved funny.--Exhausted single dad Kei has to deal with the constant pestering of Kuroo and Bokuto, until he realizes that perhaps, he needs some pestering in his life.--“Wooaaah! You heard us?!”“You were leaning over my shoulder and talking to my child.”“That’s because you had headphones on and couldn’t hear us.”The stranger’s brow twitched a little but he managed to hold his stone-like face. “That’s the whole point.”
Relationships: Bokuto Koutarou/Kuroo Tetsurou, Bokuto Koutarou/Kuroo Tetsurou/Tsukishima Kei
Comments: 29
Kudos: 196





	1. Time

**Author's Note:**

> Heeey, great people! How are you doing?  
> This is my second Haikyuu project, I've been writing it since pretty much I started Graceful Sunshine. But in order to properly finish one story I put this one on pause for a while. Now I had the time to see it to an end and share it with you. I hope you like it, it's a fluffy, angsty, but mostly fluffy piece.  
> The first chapter is short, but I felt like this was the proper place to 'cut' the story. It's all written and I'll update every few days or so as I edit it. Next chapters are all waaaay loger, no worries.
> 
> Enjoy and see you at the end!

“Bo, we have a new neighbour.” 

Kuroo was squinting through the peephole of their front door. He had to slouch a little in order to be eye-level with the small hole.

Bokuto, who was engrossed in a video game only hummed in acknowledgement. He was intensely staring at the screen, fingers tapping over the controller in a way that would make Kenma proud for sure. 

“Ah, he is tall and blonde. Cute.” 

Now that got Bokuto interested. He didn’t pause but he craned his neck in order to see Kuroo.

“How cute?”

Kuroo tapped his fingers across the solid wood of the door in thought. “Hmm, I didn't get a clear view, but probably eight to nine owls out of ten.” 

Bokuto jumped from the computer chair, throwing his controller on the desk unceremoniously and ran to Kuroo, pushing him away, peeking through the peephole. The hallway was empty and silent, the white door across from them looked as it did every single time he saw it - no cute neighbours in sight.

“He only took his pizza and then went back in. You were too slow. Sorry, Bo.”

“Maaaaaan, nine owls out of ten and I missed it!” Bokuto whined with a pout.

Kuroo smirked and slid over his boyfriend’s back, dramatically exhaling directly in Bokuto’s ear.

“You’ll have to settle for the ten out of ten you’ve got right here. What a tragedy!”

“The only ten-out-of-ten in this apartment is me, Tetsu.”

“What!?”

“But you can step up the ladder by maybe giving my feet a massage? My right ankle is being a bitch.”

Kuroo faked an angry gasp, relaxing even more of his weight against the well-built body of Bokuto. “And will I get a reward, hmm?” the softly spoken words were breathed against a weak spot on Bokuto’s neck and the man shuddered.

“I guess. If you do a good job, I’m sure my ankle will return the favor. I can massage you, anywhere you want.”

“Deal.”

* * *

Tsukishima was exhausted. He rubbed his eyes with perhaps more pressure than needed and then put on his glasses. 

A little quiet whine from the ground broke the complete silence in the room. There, in a small green mobile cradle chair was his whole world. And Kei often thought it was ironic how his whole world can be so… little.

Tiny Hitoka with her rosy cheeks, tiny feet and blonde hairs so fine and thin that in the sun they looked like silk strands.

The baby was frowning and making her quiet ‘I’m-not-happy’ noises. She never bawled or screamed like other children at her age. Even when she cried in distress it was somehow quiet and subdued. 

He smiled tiredly at her and used his leg to slightly push the cradle, making it rock. He spent more time than necessary observing his daughter. He counted her breaths, he marveled at her soft content smile, her small hands with her even smaller fingers, her pink bow was askew, her yellow dino socks were a tad bit too big, but she would grow into them, hopefully not too soon. Recently it seemed to him like she changed in a blink of an eye.

If he could, he would do nothing but look at her and hug her, and just be there for her. However, he had to study, he had a dissertation to write, he had research, he had to do some laundry, he needed to go to the store, because he’s been eating take out for the last week. He was also low on diapers and baby formula. The bills had to be paid. His boss wanted the new tour plan by the end of the week. 

Kei felt his breaths starting to come up a little short and closed his eyes. He synchronized his breathing with the gentle rocking of the cradle. In and out, in and out. A minute or two later, he was okay enough to go back to his reading. The enormous study book on the table in front of him was bigger than Hitoka and older than him. From the worn out pages long words and grey diagrams were taunting him. 

His foot never stopped rocking Hitoka while his mind was lost in a world he had dreamed about since he was a kid. The room was drowning in silence. The only sign of any life was the consistent tapping Kei’s pen made as he vigorously took note after note and the occasional squeaking of the mobile baby-chair as it rocked back and forth. 

The sun was peeking through the heavy curtains, painting the empty walls in orange. 

Kei’s hand moved rapidly across his notebook. He turned page after page of the big book and scanned the endless rows of text with a mastered level of speed, only to scribble something in his notes and repeat the process for the next paragraph. 

The digital clock on the microwave counted the passing minutes. Five, ten, fifteen. As time moved forward, his hand started slowing down, the grip of his pen becoming slack. The black printed words on the pages started blurring. His eyelids felt heavy and he didn’t even register when his brain made the decision to lay his head on the table. He inhaled deeply and closed his eyes. 

His foot made a last push of the rocking-chair before his consciousness slipped in dreamland. Now, there was only silence. The clock still counted the minutes - twenty, thirty, thirty-five and the sun still bathed the white walls in gentle orange hue.

Father and daughter shared this rare moment of mutual rest. Time didn’t matter. The flashing red numbers of the clock couldn’t hurt them right now.

Tiny hands twitched a little as at the same time Kei’s long fingers relaxed completely and the pen rolled from them. 

Kei and Hitoka smiled in their sleep and the clock went on - forty, forty-five, fifty. Nobody was there to see it. For once, the deafening silence was welcome. Fifty-five, sixty - and it started from the beginning - five, ten. Their peaceful breathing never hitched.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! Please, share your thoughts!  
> I have a weakness for baby Yachi, so prepare yourselves. (I also have a weakness for every pair in this fandom, regardless of how popular or rare it is, so expect surprises in other stories).
> 
> Have a great weekend! 
> 
> PS: Title, summary and chapter count may change as I edit these days.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, just stopping by to tell you I tried to do a thing. If you want to see how I imagine the two apartments looking, I'll link you some shots. I used sims 4 and yeah. [Tsukki's apartment](https://nekonevi.tumblr.com/private/622833736630894592/tumblr_QyRpqjSFAzisx4sFE) and here is [Bokuto and Kuroo's apartment](https://nekonevi.tumblr.com/private/622833936388833280/tumblr_9ZRBOYMxd8m100RyJ)  
> I don't know how to use tumblr so I hope these links work, if not tell me, pls.

“We need another plant.”

Bokuto scratched his chin in thought and nodded at Kuroo. “Okay.” He agreed and looked at the variety of green leaves in front of his eyes.

“We can put it by the front door.” Kuroo proposed and bent down to pick up a brown ceramic pot.

“Sure. There is a lack of green in the entry hall.” Once the plant was secure in the shopping cart the two men moved through the aisles. Bokuto was energetically pushing the cart while Kuroo scrolled through the shopping list on his phone.

“We also need beer.” Informed the tall dark-haired male. Bokuto breathed out a laugh and started tapping a random melody on the cart’s handle.

“We always do. What else?” Asked Bokuto. He reached into a fridge to pull out a six pack of glass bottles. It was a tight fit next to the ceramic pot but he managed to push everything in without any accidents.

“Hmmm let me check. Tomatoes” Kuroo started listing off. Bokuto peered in the cramped cart and pointed at the plastic bag containing the tomatoes.. 

“Checked”

“Pasta”

“Checked”

“Strawberry jam.”

“Checked”

“Toilet paper”

“Double checked”

“Our new neighbour.”

“Definitely not checked, Tetsu! Next time you spy on him tell me earlier!” Bokuto whined a little. He pouted at Kuroo but his boyfriend wasn’t paying him attention. He was staring at something at the end of the isle.

“No, no, Bo. He is here. Over there.” Kuroo cleared up. He pointed a long finger at the tall blond figure and Bokuto beamed.

“Aaah, how lucky. Oh, he is tall. Huh, he has a weird backpack, so many straps and why is he wearing it to the front…?” Bokuto trailed off, squinting at the many green straps hugging their neighbour’s frame.

“Bo, I don’t think that’s a backpack.” Kuroo said over a covered laugh. He cleared his throat and pocketed his phone, shopping forgotten for the moment.

“Oh my god! He has a baby! Oh man, he is taken.” 

Kuroo smacked his boyfriend on the arm in mock jealousy. After receiving a smile and a kiss, Kuroo took Bokuto’s arm and led him towards the blonde man. 

“Let’s go and greet him, anyway.”

“Yeah! We are good neighbours.” Bokuto agreed. In less than four big steps the couple reached their target. Up close they noticed that the man was a few centimeters taller than Kuroo, but not as musculey. 

“Hey, we live across from-” Bokuto started enthusiastically with his bright voice. Kuroo smiled and shook his head before he put a hand on Bokuto’s bicep to stop him.

“Bo, he can’t hear you, he has headphones оn.”

Bokuto gasped silently and crossed his arms.

“How rude! Nevermind, I’ll talk to the baby then.” He leaned slightly forward in order to be close to the baby. “Hello small baby, we are your new neighbours. We aren’t new, you are. Are you settling in fine? Do you need anything?”

From her place in the carrier, the tiny baby blinked in surprise. She had a head full of her dad’s hair, though hers was styled with a nice ribbon. Her big eyes timidly observed the two strangers. She fisted her father’s t-shirt but didn’t turn her head.

“We don’t have any diapers, but if you ever need anything else just knock on the door or go over the flower wall on the balcony.” Bokuto continued. He mimicked the motion of stepping over some obstacle to the baby and she just continued blinking at him.

“You probably can’t go over that, though. Can you walk, small baby?” Kuroo cut in after a big snort at Bokuto’s antics. The little girl didn’t say anything. However, when the silver-haired man made a funny face with his tongue out she giggled and kicked her legs a little.

“You have big eyes! Ha! And an adorable smile, too!” In that moment a gentle hand came over the girl’s head, effectively hiding her from view.

“Can I help you?” Their new neighbour had a distinctive annoyed note to his voice. He sounded flat and not amused one bit. He was looking at Bokuto and Kuroo from behind his glasses with a bored expression. His headphones were hanging over his neck and the baby had the cable in her hand.

“Wooaaah! You heard us?!” Exclaimed surprised Bokuto. He stepped back a little, taking Kuroo with him.

“You were leaning over my shoulder and talking to my child.” The stranger stated. He then turned to his cart and dropped something in. One of his hands never left the baby’s head.

As the man pushed forward, Kuroo and Bokuto fell in step with him. “That’s because you had headphones on and couldn’t hear us.” Explained Kuroo with one of his trademarked smirks.

The stranger’s brow twitched a little but he managed to hold his stone-like face. “That’s the whole point.” The irritation was clear in his voice.

“I like you, already!” Bokuto shouted. His loudness attracted the attention of some other shoppers and that seemed to grate the stranger’s nerves even more. He gritted his teeth and his free hand squeezed the cart’s handle.

“Can you move?” Demanded the man. Kuroo and Bokuto had somehow stopped in the middle of the isle, making it impossible to pass by. 

“Sure, sorry. So, you moved in recently.” Kuroo questioned with a wide grin after he made way.. 

“...” The man said nothing, he just stepped next to the tall black-head, grabbed a pack of napkins from one shelf and tossed it in his shopping cart. This made Kuroo realize that their own purchases were laying forgotten in an abandoned cart somewhere. He didn’t even remember when had Bokuto let go of the cart. He also realized that this man smelled nice.

“We live across from you, we share a balcony.” Informed happily Bokuto.

“Ah. That’s you.” Was the unenthusiastic response from the stranger. 

“That’s us. Do you need any help with the apartment, the building, your baby…?” Kuroo suggested. He was still grinning. He watched as the stranger tried to stay as composed as possible. His eyes were extremely expressive, though.

With a deep sigh the man’s hand fell down from its position over the little girl’s head. Without her father shielding her from view, the couple saw that the baby was dozing off with her head lulled to one side. Her tiny fist was still holding the cord of the headphones.

“No.” Denied shortly their neighbour and sidestepped them again.

“His wife helps with the baby, Tetsu, don’t be stupid.” Bokuto reprimanded in a fake scandalous tone. 

“Oh, how stupid of me.” Kuroo gasped theatrically, putting a hand over his mouth.

“I don’t have a wife.” The stranger said in a surprisingly casual manner. Bokuto clapped his hands and leaned forward a little.

“A husband, then?” Pried out of sheer curiosity Kuroo. The blond man obviously had enough with them. He took a last item from a shelf and after taking a good hold of his shopping cart he addressed Bokuto and Kuroo with cold formal politeness. 

“If you’ll excuse me.”

The couple didn’t try to stop him. They didn’t want to come off as clingy or desperate. Or creepy. However, they didn’t miss the opportunity to offer their hospitality again.

“If you need us- uh, anything, you know where to find us.” Kuroo smirked and waved at the retreating male. 

“No, thank you.” The couple did a double take because they weren’t expecting an answer.

They looked at each other and Bokuto exploded in laughter.

“Definitely eight to nine owls out of ten.”

* * *

It was warm but rainy day. Kei disliked the rain. It was bothersome, with the mud, the need of being extra careful around the streets, the puddles, the wet clothes, the drenched shoes... It was especially inconvenient when you had to go out with a baby.

Personally, Kei thought that university campus was not a place for a baby stroller so he took the carrier instead. However, he had to think about a raincoat and none of his fit with the extra volume of a baby hanging off his frame. 

A while ago, he bought a special clip-on rain protector which came with a hood and completely covered Hitoka, so she was dry and safe. He, on the other hand, relied only on his umbrella and a light jacket.

Rain had a lot of negativities, but Kei couldn’t deny there was something he could almost say he enjoyed. Walking down the streets in the rain was different. Usually, there were less people, everyone were looking down or they were in a great hurry. One of the main things - rain was like music, an unpopular genre of music which sounded diverse every time he heard it. Whenever he was out in the rain, his headphones stayed unused.

“You’ve been to university so often by now, bunny.” Kei commented lightly as he went up the stairs of the main entrance of the relatively old building. It clashed with the surrounding modern architecture. 

The inside was vast and seemingly empty, the echo carried on by the stone hallways. Kei sometimes expected to see a big garden or another classy building when he looked out of the tall windows, but instead, there was a row of skyscrapers and the back facade of a residential complex. 

He disposed of his wet umbrella in the indicated place by the entrance and then moved on. The man stopped in a relatively remote corner of the main hallway and used the wooden bench there to fix everything on his persona. First, he unclipped and folded carefully the rain-cover. 

From underneath the colorful fabric, Hitoka giggled up at him.

“What’s so funny, huh?” Kei whispered with a smile and leaned his head so he could kiss the top of Hitoka’s head. 

The little girl giggled again and grabbed his jacket in her happiness. With her big eyes, filled with childish wonder for the world around her, she observed her surroundings. Indeed, she had been to university a few times and the grey walls didn’t strike her as too unfamiliar.

Kei managed to get himself presentable in under three minutes. His jacket was now hanging from the baby bag. The light-grey backpack was amply decorated with cartoon dinosaurs and Kei was forced by circumstances to lug it around. For maximum optimisation he used the baby bag for his personal belongings. So, amidst the diapers and onesies, there was a folder containing a summary of his PhD work so far and a notebook or two with all his notes.

“Let’s go, bunny.” Kei had the habit of constantly speaking to Hitoka. He read somewhere that verbal stimulation was important for the right development of the human brain. Hitoka didn’t mind at all, and recently, coming into first year of existence, she began to hang on every word he said. He was sure her cognitive capabilities were improving with every passing month.

“Second floor, chemistry division.” The tall young man was looking at his phone, making sure he was going in the right direction. His free hand was absentmindedly fiddling with Hitoka’s hairband. 

The baby was silently sucking on her pacifier, which her dad gave her as a comforting object. She got nervous easily. Another parenting book informed its readers that the repetitive sucking motion of the dummy was highly satisfactory and anti-stress item.

“By the time I graduate you’ll be well-versed on the campus here.” Joked Kei and gently stroked his daughter’s cheek. “What would you study?” wondered the man and peeled his eyes away from his phone so he could look directly at his child’s eyes.

“Whatever makes you happy.” Kei concluded with a last soft smile before he rounded a corner and let his face morph in its usual unreadable expression.

Hitoka was swinging her legs in no particular rhythm. Her pink shoes sparkled under the bright lightning of the room they just entered. She spotted something bright on a wall and did her best to follow it while her dad walked in fast strides. She had to crane her neck as far as the carrier allowed and eventually Kei’s big hand had to gently turn her head forward again before it became painful.

Instantly the bright colours on the wall were out of her vision and she sucked on her dummy in sadness. She was brought out of her sulking by her daddy’s voice.

“Excuse me, I need to speak to Dr. Kuroo.”

Kai stood in front of the old wooden desk of the department’s secretary and waited for the woman behind it to find where Dr. Kuroo was supposed to be at this time of the day. 

The man purposely stood in a way that gave Hitoka a full view of the flashy poster of the upcoming science fair. She seemed to have taken a liking to it and he was rewarded for his thoughtfulness with a tiny joyful clap against his chest by a small hand.

“He finished a class ten minutes ago so he should still be in lecture hall AB in this wing.” The woman’s monotone tember informed. She was constantly clicking away at her keyboard and Kei wondered if he looked like this when he was writing.

“Thank you.” Kei turned around and headed for the abovementioned classroom. He often had lectures there so he had no trouble finding it.

The big doors were slightly ajar and he didn’t bother knocking before he entered.

„Excuse me for the intrusion, I'm looking for Dr. Kuroo“ Kei's voice carried strong in the empty room. The desks were empty, except the lector's desk, which was occupied, the rain was still going on strong, hitting the big windows.

A messy black-haired head looked up from behind a computer screen and looked Kei in the eye. In just a few seconds a big smirk overtook the man's face, while Kei pursed his lips in displeasure.

He knew this person. It was the tall guy from the store. His neighbour. One of his extremely annoying neighbours. They were noisy and talkative, always smiling and greeting him, waving over the bush wall of their shared balcony.

“If it isn't Tsukishima-san!” Kuroo exclaimed with a clap of his hands. He stood up and moved towards Kei who was stuck in place. “Ah, and little baby-chan!” Hitoka gazed at Kuroo, blinking at him as he mentioned her. 

With a glare, Kei covered Hitoka with his hand, the way he had done in the supermarket. Kuroo pouted with crossed arms.

“Can I help you?” Asked Kuroo curiously.

Kei sighed and removed his hand from Hitoka, moving it to push up his glasses up his nose a little. “I'm looking for Dr. Kuroo. I was told he would be here...?”

Kuroo grinned again. “He is here! I'm him! Kuroo Tetsurou at your services!” The man bowed.

Tsukishima stood there in silence for a second before he gathered his bearings.

“You are Dr. Kuroo? The chemist?” Kei wanted to make sure he actually had the right person.

Kuroo nodded, his grin still on his face. Kei breathed out in annoyance and clicked his teeth together.

“How can I help you?” Kuroo inquired. He was now leaning casually on his big desk.

Kei placed a hand against Hitoka’s back so he could bow as he introduced himself properly. 

“My name is Tsukishima Kei. I’m writing a PhD thesis at the moment and my sphere of work is paleontology. My research has lead me to an area I need help with. A chemist’s help.” Kei explained. 

He considered leaving. From the brief encounter in the store, to the few times he had crossed ways with him, Kuroo seemed like a type of person Kei wouldn’t really want to mess with, especially at the moment. 

Yes, he was good-looking, his boyfriend was also extremely attractive, but they were both obnoxious and Kei liked peace. So, he really wanted to just leave this room, with its high ceiling and stuffy air, with the big windows, heavy desk and one Dr. Kuroo.

However, if he was good at something, it was rationalizing a situation. And Kei knew that at this moment, there wasn’t another chemist with the needed competence in this area, who would help. 

He owned two books written by Kuroo T. and having read them, he knew for sure this smirking man was exactly who he needed if he wanted to do well. Perhaps, if Kuroo managed to write such elaborate and well-acclaimed science works, he wasn’t as bad as he came-off at first sight. 

Kuroo hummed in thought and drummed his fingers against the dark wood of the desk. Kei stood silently and waited for an answer. He distracted himself with patting Hitoka’s hair as the little girl played with the buttons on his shirt..

“Whit what exactly do you need my help?” Questioned the dark-haired man curiously.

Kei reached in the baby bag and took out a green folder. He made the few steps to Kuroo and handed him the file. 

“This summarises the overall idea.” Said Kei. Kuroo started looking through the organised papers while Tsukishima continued talking. 

“A year and a half ago I was on an expedition in Canada. For five months we moved three times, three different terrains. We managed to find a good amount of fossils.” Kei paused. He pointed a specific part on the page Kuroo was reading. “This is the percentage of scientifically-useful material we excavated from site one and two.” 

Kuroo squinted a little at the tiny diagrams and with a deep sigh he blindly outstretched his free hand back, towards the piles of papers and books on the desk until he got a hold of his glasses.

Putting them on, the tall man retook in the information in front of him. Kei took that as a sign to continue. 

“I’m researching the ecosystem of the Triassic, and more in depth - the time of the mass extinction which occurred towards the end of this period. Around 22 percent of marine life went missing. A lot of species disappeared - amphibians, reptiles, synapsids, you can see the full chart yourself. The core of my study lead me to an interesting discovery.” 

Kuroo raised his gaze from the text he was reading and observed the man. The blonde was an enigma to Tetsurou and Bokuto. He always looked uninterested and serious. When he spoke it was either to spawn sarcasm, tease or to gently whisper to his daughter. 

He wasn’t rude, he was polite, maybe way too much, creating a distance between himself and his neighbours. His stoic nonchalant manner pulled Kuroo in. It was like a puzzle he wanted to arrange. 

This was the first time he heard Tsukishima talk more than four sentences and none of them were offensive. And if this wasn’t progress. Kuroo bit his lip to stop a wide smile from spreading, because he couldn’t really justify a grin while reading about dead amphibians, really. 

“Okay, you tickled my interest.” Kuroo admitted. He told Kei to hold his train of thoughts and proceeded to put away his laptop and bag a few books and papers. With a last check of his belongings, Kuroo motioned to Kei to follow him.

“Let’s go to my office. You can tell me more about this” Kuroo waved the folder in the air and opened the door so the two of them could exit. “in a more comfortable atmosphere.” 

Kei followed Kuroo in the hallway. There was a slight temperature drop, the endless stony walls mirrored the stony ground, creating a chilling box.

The halls were mostly empty, the few people who passed by them didn’t spare them a glance.

“Ah,” Kuroo began. “we have around half an hour before my next class.” As he spoke Tetsurou bent a little and tapped Hitoka’s pacifier, making the baby blink at him with uncertainty. 

“Aren’t you just so cute.” He gushed with the sweetest tone he could get out of his voice cords. “Cutie patootie!” He tapped the plastic in her mouth again, this time eliciting a soundless giggle from Hitoka. 

He couldn’t hide his grin even if he wanted to this time. 

“Please, don’t do that.” Came Kei’s voice. 

“Huh?” Kuroo looked at him, straightening up and making a sharp turn to the left, then taking up the stairs to the third floor.

“Don’t baby-talk her.” Kei explained shortly. His usual scowl was settling in. 

“But she is a baby.” Kuroo stated dumbly in disbelief. The third floor was even darker and emptier. 

“She is a normal human being. She can understand you just fine.” Kei’s matter-of-fact tone transformed Kuroo’s smile into a smirk. The man also realised something - Tsukishima hasn’t tried to hide the baby. 

Previous times he always would make sure she was out of direct contact, but this time he hadn’t moved an inch to do so. Kuroo felt triumphant satisfaction. He was definitely going places with today’s progress.

“But she is a cute baby! Look at her!” Exclaimed Kuroo. He waved at an old man on the other side of the hallway and then tickled Hitoka’s cheek.

“I look at her everyday and I can assure you, she can be cute and still understand you normally with no need of degrading your speech in such a way. Do you talk like that to your… friends?” They were standing in front of a door, completely identical to every door they had passed so far. The only difference was the rectangular sign with Kuroo’s name and title.

“I actually do.” Kuroo responded, unlocking the door and inviting a Kei, who looked disgruntled at his answer. 

“Why am I not surprised.” Mumbled Kei and entered the small room. Kuroo pouted and closed the door.

Tsukishima took in the small space. The office was warm and with enough natural light. The furniture was a mixture of ancient wooden bookcases, a few cupboards looking on the verge of crumbling to dust and a sleek modern desk, some shelves, a tiny flashy red sofa accompanied by a cheap Ikea table. 

Two mismatched chairs stood at random places in the room. The clutter, Kei noticed, was organised and the place didn’t look crowded. On the walls there were some posters and a few picture frames. On many of them, Kei saw Bokuto.

One of the things which stood out the most were the plants. All around the place were stationed different plants. Green leaves in various colors, shape and state were hanging out of every corner and every empty gap. In a way it helped the odd combination of old and new to blend in together. 

With a heavy sigh Kuroo discarded his bag on the desk and fell in his big desk chair. His black hair blended with the dark faux leather. 

“Please, make yourself comfortable.” Prompted the man and rolled his chair so he could sit on the other side of the table, by the couch, where Kei was already sitting down. 

Tsukishima got seated and adjusted Hitoka’s legs so they weren’t folded in an awkward way. 

“So, a lot of fish and stuff went bye-bye for mysterious reasons?” Kuroo opened the green folder again and ignored Kei’s scoff.

“You could say so.” Kei eventually agreed. There was no use of arguing. “The climate at the time was mostly dry and warm. Volcanic eruption and the breaking of Pangaea are the main suspects for causing such a global extinction.”

“Ah-uh.” Kuroo followed Kei’s train of thoughts carefully. Turning to the next page he finally saw something that spoke to him clearly “Ah! Radiometric dating.” Exclaimed happily the dark-haired man with a grin.

Kei nodded. “Yes. That’s where I need your help. I found a weird occurrence - fossils from around the time of this mass extinction event, from completely different parts of the world have similar or entirely matching chem-print. You can see the varying data. I’m looking into possible reasons for this.”

For a brief moment Kuroo peeked over the white pages and he was struck. Kei was staring off in the distance, the usual frown was replaced with a barely there smile as he spoke passionately about his discovery and his overall work. It was like Kuroo was looking at a different man. Was this really his cranky neighbour? His cranky _hot_ neighbour. 

Time was running short and Kuroo accepted to help Tsukishima. He kept the folder and exchanged contact information. They scheduled a meeting in a library on Monday and of course, Kuroo didn’t miss the opportunity to tease Kei.

“Actually, you know where I live, so if you ever need anything, you can find me. I have no requirements about presentable clothes or being dressed at all, don’t worry.” Kuroo had smirked casually, crossing his legs.

As expected, Kei frowned and rolled his eyes. The man took his leave in a swift manner, not giving Kuroo the chance to say a proper goodbye to Hitoka. When the door of his office closed Kuroo jumped off his chair and stumbled to his bag, digging in for his phone.

Once he had it in his grip he dialed Bokuto.

“Oya oya! You won’t believe what just happened, Bo!” Not giving Bokuto a possibility to answer, Kuroo sprawled across his desk and continued. “I have Tsukki’s number and e-mail, and PhD draft, and I spoke to the baby!”

“WHAT!?”

“Yeah, Bo! We talked about chem elements in dead reptile bones and I’m working with him on this research...”

“WHAT!?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! Please, leave your thoughts :)
> 
> I totally made up some dino-science. I read like two articles and a passage from a book on the period and then decided not to use any of the actual real information. The only true scientific fact here (as long as my knowledge goes) is that there was a mass extinction at the end of the Triassic. But who cares when we have BABY HITOKAAAAAA. Cuteee~~


	3. Her beauty and the moonlight overthrew ya

Running in the morning was an integral part of Kei's routine. Rain, snow, a PhD thesis, a baby, sleepless night, nothing could stop him. Every morning he got up early, prepared the stroller and went out for a run. He would plug in his headphones and get lost in his head. The park was mostly empty, with the exception of a few dog-walkers and some other morning-runners. The faces were becoming familiar and they would exchange a nod or a silent wave as they passed by one another.

Kei never really focused on the people around him. It was just him, his music and Hitoka. He gripped loosely the handle of the stroller and kept a steady pace. He breathed in short inhales and exhales. His mind wouldn’t flash in different directions, he found that in the morning fresh and cool air, his thoughts were more orderly. It felt like in these moments time moved slower. Usually, Hitoka slept through the whole thing and woke up when they were back in the apartment.

Kei liked to think of himself as observant. He easily catches on minor details in his surroundings. However, he was also good at pretending not to see. That was the case with his buff loud neighbour.

He noticed the man shared relatively the same running time as him, he noticed how with each day, Bokuto Koutaru would start his jogging earlier and earlier. He couldn’t not notice the intense stare, the significant change of path the other man made so he could pass by Kei more often than before. 

Kei was sure even the dogs in the park noticed. But Bokuto didn’t say anything, thankfully. Kei remained ignorant, too. Interacting with people at the very beginning of one’s day was something Kei avoided as much as he avoided talking to his parents.

Though, he couldn’t help but _notice_ just how… worth noticing Bokuto was. His body was muscled, wide shoulders, strong hands, enormous grin. Kei knew who Bokuto was. He wouldn’t admit it, but he actually enjoys volleyball and follows the big league matches. Bokuto was part of one of his favourite teams and he recognised the wing-spiker the moment he set eyes on him in that grocery store. Perhaps, if he had turned out to be more… subdued and normal, Kei would have even been civil.

As long as Bokuto didn’t actually try communicating, Kei was going to be fine. He expected the man to be more daring, especially after Kei’s interaction with Kuroo. However, he was pleasantly surprised by the lack of initiation. Things stayed the same, both men kept a reasonable distance.

The chill morning air was slowly warming up and the dull sunlight was becoming more and more prominent as Kei started his jog home. By this time, the first wave of commuters and students were out and about so Tsukishima tried to be as fast as possible. Hitoka’s breakfast time was also around the corner. The girl was sleepily blinking from her stroller, enjoying the ride contently for now.

“Don’t worry, bunny, we’re almost home.” Kei smiled and pulled her soft blanket to her chin, so she was protected from the cold.

Hitoka grinned, sticking her thumb in her mouth with a giggle. Kei frowned and stopped the stroller, gently pushing it to the side of the path as not to block the flow of people.

“You know this is bad, bunny.” Spoke the man and stuck a hand underneath the blue blanket, clearly looking for something. A second later he pulled out a purple dummy and replaced Hitoka’s finger with it. Kei adjusted the position of the seat so Hitoka was now sitting instead of laying.

The baby cooed happily, sucking at the pacifier and grabbing one of the small stuffed toys which were in the stroller with her. 

“Ah! Thunder! As energetic as ever!” At the familiar booming voice, Kei turned around to see Bokuto sprinting down the path, a big dog running alongside him. The canine was massive and seemed overly-excited. A worried man was running after it, calling anxiously at the animal to slow-down.

Just when the pair was nearly next to Kei and Hitoka, Thunder decided to show just how happy he is by jumping at Bokuto. The dog collided with the unexpectant man, making him gasp loudly and stumble on the ground.

“Oh no! Thunder! Stop!” Thunder’s owner had caught up and was pulling the dog, clipping on his leash.

“I’m so sorry!” The man bowed and then reached to pull Bokuto up. Kei watched as Bokuto waved off the apologies with a grin and then stood up with the man’s help. 

“Don’t worry, Tanaka-san! Everything’s fine! Your good boy was just too happy!”

Tanaka-san rubbed the back of his head and apologized again. Bokuto laughed and petted the dog’s head. Kei noticed how he wasn’t standing normally, he was avoiding putting any weight on his right foot. Tanaka-san saw this too.

“Oh, no! Bokuto-san! Did you get hurt?!”

“No, no! Don’t worry! I’m good! I just scraped my ankle when I fell! It’s all fine.” Bokuto insisted, never ceasing smiling. 

Even though Tanaka-san didn’t look convinced, the man had no choice but to leave as he was going to be late for work. 

Bokuto waited until the dog-owner duo was out of sight before he started limping with a wince.

Kei wondered why was he still standing there. He could have been home by now, probably. Yet, here he was, watching silently as his obnoxious neighbour limped with the speed of a snail and clearly in pain. 

“Why did you lie?” Kei found his mouth moving before he could realize he wanted to say anything. Bokuto tensed at the direct question but once he saw the tall blond father, his pained expression was replaced by a huge smile. 

“Ah, Tsukki! I didn’t see you! And baby-chan is here, too!” The man beamed. Tsukishima shook his head and pushed the stroller forward so he could be at one level with Bokuto.

“Why did you lie, Bokuto-san?” Kei asked again. He was the kind of person to always say the truth as it was and he was curious why someone would deliberately say he wasn’t hurt, when, obviously he was.

Bokuto laughed loudly and reached a hand as if to pat Tsukishima on the shoulder but in the last second he thought better and let his arm hang by his side. 

“It’s not that bad, Tsukki! There was no need to worry Tanaka-san. Thunder wasn’t at fault.” With a last laugh, Bokuto closed the topic as he pretended to be distracted by the baby in the stroller. 

Kei made a clicking sound and didn’t say anything. For some moments he just observed Bokuto as the man bent to whisper something to Hitoka. The little girl was insecure of him at first, but it seemed like she warmed up fast.

“Let’s go, Bokuto-san!” Bokuto only had time to blink before a hand was sneaked around his waist and his own hand was hung over a bony shoulder. With a surprising show of strength, Kei managed to elevate his weight so he wasn’t stepping on his aching ankle.

“Tsukishima...”

“Be quiet, I can drop you at any moment if I decide to.” Kei hissed with less bite than intended. Bokuto bit a grin, not wanting to pull a devil by its tail. Tsukishima used his free hand to steer the stroller, keeping a careful and measured pace. 

“Uhm, thank you.” 

Kei didn’t respond. It was a little awkward to simultaneously push a baby and hold a grown-ass man but Kei carried on with a confidate step. 

“Kuroo told me you’ll be working on some dino thing together… You should have seen him! He spent the whole night reading from a book older than my mother... ” Bokuto decided to change the topic and to open the door to a secure conversation. He noted the slight brightness that came to Tsukishima’s eyes the moment he mentioned his thesis.

“Yes. And it’s not really dinosaurs, or at least not the way you imagine them.” With a steady arm the blond man lead the way out of the park and onto the sidewalk of their street. 

Bokuto gasped in wonder. “What do you mean? No T-Rex?”

Tsukishima shook his head. “No. Actually I’m researching the Triassic period. After its end comes the Jurassic.” 

Kei’s arm was warm against his back. Bokuto observed how even though the man had been running for the past hour, he didn’t smell like sweat. If only his team had that gift. Bokuto hummed and waved his free hand in the air excitedly. 

“Have you seen a real T-Rex skeleton?”

“Bokuto-san, please stop moving that much, I’ll let you fall.”

“Aaah, Tsukki! But how can you leave me all crippled on the street.”

“I can show you how.” Kei’s blank stare convinced Bokuto that the man wasn’t joking so he made a locking gesture with his hand over his lips and pretended to throw the key away.

A lot of people looked at the pair strangely. They crossed the street safely and turned left towards their building. The city had officially awoken and maneuvering through the crowd was tricky. 

Kei also saw how Hitoka was becoming restless and looking at his wrist watch he sighed. It was breakfast time. Instead of delving on it, Kei readjusted Bokuto with a grunt and addressed him.

“Will you be okay? Don’t you have a game coming up soon?”

With a dramatically positioned hand over his heart, Bokuto puffed. “Is Tsukki a fan?!” No sooner had the words left his lips, Koutarou felt the loss of the support he had and because it happened so fast, he stepped on his bad foot. 

“Ow! Ow! Sorry! Tsukki!” Said man smirked and renewed their stance. Bokuto breathed out a sigh of relief and leaned against the tall figure.

“Seriously, though, do you watch volleyball?”

Tsukishima groaned but confirmed. “I do, sometimes. I played in high school and it stuck, I guess.”

“Woah!” Bokuto awed. “What position did you play? Was your team good?” Secretly he had been jealous because Kuroo had a mutual point with the adorably hot neighbour, but now he was more than happy to find out that aside from science, Tsukishima can vouch for volleyball of all things! If this wasn’t fate. 

“I was middle blocker. We were… alright? We did reach Nationals… ” Kei trailed off. Bokuto wanted to yell at him not to be this apathetic when talking about volleyball. But another thought outstripped that and instead, Bokuto barked out an invite.

“Someday, come play with us! With some of our friends we often have friendly amateur matches on weekends. You should join.”

“I don’t have the time.” Kei hurriedly replied. Not giving time for Bokuto to voice the protest clear on his face, Tsukishima parked the stroller in front of their front door and helped Bokuto lean on the handle of the buggy.

“Don’t move too much, you’ll overturn the whole pram.” Kei instructed and fished out his keys to unlock.

Bokuto pouted at being rejected. He turned his attention to Hitoka and whispered to her.

“I’ll make that daddy of yours play with me, just you watch!” 

The baby blinked at him and spat out her pacifier, starting to whine softly. That scared Bokuto as he had never actually seen a child so small so close. Faster than light he hopped on one foot, distancing himself from the grumpy baby and raised his hands in the air as if he was surrendering to the police.

“I didn’t do anything, I swear!”

Kei looked amused as he propped the door open with a metal stopper. 

“It’s not your fault, Bokuto-san. She is just hungry.” As he explained, the young father leaned and undid Hitoka’s belt. Then he picked up the now fussy girl and bounced her gently, patting her back soothingly.

“It’s fine, bunny. We’re home now. Just a minute longer and you’ll eat.” After a quick kiss to her cheek, he pushed the empty stroller in the building and then made way so Bokuto could limp inside.

After a short elevator ride and last words of gratitude, Bokuto slammed his door open and basically jumped inside the apartment, banging the door closed and yelling at Kuroo.

“OYA OYA, Kuroo!”

“Oya, oya, Bo! Sup?” Kuroo came up leisurely, holding a steaming cup of coffee in one hand, clad only in boxers.

“A prince in shining armour just carried me home, dude!”

Kuroo squinted in confusion. “Huh?”

“Thunder tackled me and I may have sprained my ankle.” At that, with wide eyes Kuroo left his cup at a nearby shelf and slid on the ground to look at Bokuto’s ankle.

The man in question didn’t stop his monologue. “You know how I make sure to go jogging with Kei, and apparently he saw everything and let me lean on him all the way home!”

“Tsukishima Kei touched you?!” Kuroo gasped. He stood up and placed his hands on his boyfriend’s shoulders.

“Yup! And we even spoke! Take that, babe, one on one, now. We are even!”

Kuroo swatted playfully at Bokuto’s arm and then helped him enter the living room, disposing him on their big couch and going to take out some ice for his injury. 

With a hiss of pain, Koutarou leveled his leg up and leaned against the soft cushions. Humming softly, almost as an afterthought he spoke to Kuroo. 

“You won’t believe it, but he plays volleyball. Middle blocker.”

Kuroo carefully positioned the ice pack and sat next to Bokuto, throwing a hand over his neck, bringing him close to his chest. 

“So, when are we kidnapping him to play, huh?”

Bokuto cackled and placed a sloppy kiss against Kuroo’s naked skin. 

“As soon as possible, duh.”

The couple stayed silent for a whole of five seconds before Kuroo, with a mischievous smirk detangled himself from Koutarou and kneeled by the couch.

“How is your ankle?”

“It’s fine, I’ll be good in no time. If needed, I’ll go to the team’s medic. I’ve had way worse.” Assured the buff man. From the ground Kuroo’s smirk grew bigger and he licked his lips.

“Hmm, why don’t you let Dr. Kuroo make you feel better, hm?” Kuroo breathed and looked straight at Bokuto’s eyes.

“Bro!” Bokuto moaned when he felt Kuroo touching his tights, slowly rubbing along them and running his hands higher.

“O-O-Ooh, okay, yeah. This poor injured soul is in your care, doctor.” 

* * *

There were times in Tsukishima Kei’s life when he felt useless. It wasn’t often, as he usually was well prepared for everything. He strived for a level of composure that entitled a contained mindset. 

Don’t get in too deep into things and don’t panic. There was always a way to find an out in situations. 

This way of thinking allowed him to take on taller and more experienced blockers or spikers in volleyball way back in high school. It helped tremendously during his internship in South America, when one of his classmates almost buried him alive by mistake. It was his stronghold when he was left with a baby and a funeral to plan. Alone.

However, as everything in this universe, there were times when even the strongest pillars of his foothold crumbled. 

It was way over midnight. The summer night was hot, to the point where Kei had to open the sliding door of the balcony in order to create some kind of air flow through the apartment. He had just finished writing a big chunk of text about the different mineral composition of sites around the Equator compared to northern ones.

His eyelids felt like made out of stone behind his glasses. He wasn’t sure if he was more hungry or more sleepy. Not like he had time to think about it. Hitoka had woken up distressed and he couldn’t manage to settle her back in her crib.

For the past twenty minutes he tried everything - from changing her nappies to flavouring her dummy. Nothing worked. The little girl continued to cry, altrought in her quiet way with tiny meowing noises and a lot of tears.

As the summer moon watched him from the clear sky, Kei wanted to cry too. He was starting to feel frustrated and the tiredness deep in his soul wasn’t helping his case. He bounced Hitoka, patting her back gently.

Kei hoped she wasn’t in any kind of pain. She was so small and she couldn’t tell him if anything hurt. Was it her teeth? Or colics? Maybe she had a rash and he hadn’t seen it.

“Come on, bunny, please!” He pleaded in a whisper by her ear. “What is it? Did you have a nightmare? Are you hurting somewhere?” 

The only response was a sniffling whine and a wet blink which released a lot of new tears to join the tracks in her cheeks. The baby rubbed her messy face against Kei’s naked chest and the man pressed her harder against himself. 

It was a hot night, but he couldn’t mind the heat right now. He would give all the comfort she needed. Even if it meant burning from the inside-out, he would do it for her. 

Passing by the table he removed his glasses with one hand and put them on the wooden surface. This way he could pretend that the blurriness in his vision was from the lack of lenses and not from the tears forming in his eyes.

Her cries were occasionally interrupted by a wet shuddering intake of breath and it was scaring him. He has never seen his child so distressed. His mind was filling with all kinds of desperate thoughts. An ambulance? A visit to the ER? But what if CS took her away from him? What if he was actually unfit to take care of her? He couldn’t understand what was wrong with her, so obviously he was doing something wrong in this whole parenting thing.

At the image of Hitoka being snatched from his care, Kei unconsciously held her even tighter.

It was a hot summer night but Kei’s whole being was crushed by freezing chains of self-doubt and helplessness. He was mostly unfamiliar with both.

‘I’m also going delirious from the lack of sleep.’ Kei thought as he heard music coming from outside. It was a guitar, that he was sure of. Once he realized it wasn’t a hallucination, he got angry, mad even. His neighbours had no boundaries on a good day, but this was stepping over every kind of rules and regulations.

Obviously one of the two crazy men was using the shared balcony space as a concert hall in the middle of the night. 

He was close to livid as he angrily made his way to the door. He wasn’t certain if he was going to shout, or hiss through gritted teeth, or maybe just shoot a nasty glare. 

In the back of his mind he registered that the flow of the notes was good. He was just by the open door when he caught his reflection in the glass. He was in his underwear, holding a crying baby and his eyes looked puffy and baggy all at the same time.

Kei exhaled deeply and pressed his forehead against the cool glass. Hitoka’s tears never stopped falling on his skin.

Then, in the clear night, a voice joined the guitar and for a moment Kei stopped breathing.

“Well I've heard there was a secret chord, that David played and it pleased the Lord, but you don't really care for music, do you?” The voice was even, smooth and good enough to surprise Kei. The guitar never stopped or paused. A soft harmony of music was created.

Kei wanted to be angry. He needed to be. Perhaps, if he was even a tiny bit angry, he could blame the singer for Hitoka’s miserable distress. But he couldn’t. He just couldn’t. All the anger from not even a minute ago had vanished and he was left bare. 

“...Well your faith was strong but you needed proof...” the song continued and so did Kei’s tears. He bit his lip in order to stifle a sob. For long years music had been his escape, his world, isolation in the chaos.

“...Her beauty and the moonlight overthrew ya, she tied you to her kitchen chair...” It was Kuroo, he was sure. This was the same voice that gave speeches on chemistry, the same voice which helped him with his thesis, the same voice which edged him on purpose only to stop when a real boundary was about to be overstepped.

His voice was the one carrying emotion with each note. Each intake of breath in between well sung words was like a part of the whole composition.

“...And from your lips she drew the Hallelujah... Hallelujah...” 

All of a sudden, Kei became aware of something. Hitoka was hiccuping softly, but she wasn’t crying anymore. Her face was red and damp, but there were no new tears in her eyes.

The baby was looking towards the direction of the music. Kei stared wide-eyed down at her. She wasn’t crying. She was okay. 

He wanted to sigh in relief, he wanted to fall on the floor, right in front of the balcony door and fall asleep for the next millenia. Instead, he stepped back from the balcony and with an almost soundless hum he started swaying from one foot to the other. 

He was sure Hitoka was able to feel the vibrations of his chest against her. She contently put her head on his shoulder and enjoyed the gentle lull his improvised dance created.

“...And love is not a victory march, It's a cold and it's a broken Hallelujah...” Kuroo’s voice came through the night gentler than the summer breeze. In the darkness of the night, Kei allowed himself a small smile. He placed a kiss against Hitoka’s hair and never ceased rocking side to side.

“...But remember when I moved in you, and the holy dove was moving too, and every breath we drew was Hallelujah...” 

Hitoka was mostly asleep by this point. Her thumb was in her mouth and her other hand was around Kei’s neck. However, he still didn’t stop. He gazed at the moon and the stars outside. He couldn’t remember the last time he had looked up at the night sky. It was so vast, but it’s scale was lost in the big city. With all the high buildings and the shiny lights, the sky seemed smaller or perhaps closer and not as endless.

“Hallelujah!” This one broke Kei out of his thoughts. It was Bokuto, his loud and out of tune voice silenced the melody. 

“Ah, Bo, shhh!” Kuroo’s scolding was followed by a row of laughter. A second later the guitar resumed. 

Kei couldn’t be mad even then. He won’t ever admit it, but he let another smile pull on his lips as he listened to the antics of the two men. Hitoka’s warm body in his arms and their lively noises gave him some comfort.

“...It's not somebody who's seen the light, it's a cold and it's a broken Hallelujah...”

He left the door wide open and moved into the bedroom. The window facing the balcony was ajar and he didn’t close it. Kei carefully placed Hitoka in her crib and ran his fingers through her soft hair.

He didn’t say anything. He let his body fall onto the bed and closed his eyes, loosing himself to a tender guitar, an honey voice and the mellow clapping from time to time. 

Kei wondered if Bokuto and Kuroo were looking at each other. Were they sitting next to one another? Was the moonlight making Bokuto’s hair seem even more white than it was? Was the blackness of the night engulfing Kuroo and his singing form? Were they aware of his open window? Were they thinking about him? 

“...Hallelujah...” as the notes went on and danced in the quietness of his room, Kei finally gave up and let sleep carry him away. The smile was still gracing his lips and the feeling of helpless desperation was for now buried in his mind as a distant memory, locked in place by strong guitar strings and a husky voice.

The summer night was hot and the sky was clear. The air still barely moved, but it felt lighter in a way. It was easier to breath. The darkness was not an enemy, it was more of a background to a theater of emotions. The stars were the audience and the moon was the unmovable judge.

Kei twitched a little in his sleep. For now he could rest and leave behind his troubles.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! I'll be happy to hear your thoughts :) 
> 
> The version of the song I listened to while writing the last scene is [ here ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N21ixIHcGIw)
> 
> Have a great week :)


	4. When she is happy

Since he started working with Kuroo, Kei’s days became more… bothersome. Yeah. He had to deal with the eccentric professor, all of his plants and his even more bothersome boyfriend.

Bokuto would join in his morning runs three days of the week. Kei didn’t know what the man was doing with his morning in the other four days and he had no desire to find out. 

Routines are comfortable, but also changeable. Change was definitely something to usually bring a lot of nerve-wrecking unconscious anxiety. However, with everything else going on in his hectic life, Kei didn’t feel any different about all the shifts regarding his routine and especially, regarding Kuroo and Bokuto.

Swiftly and with a feeling of complete normality, his schedule now included the two other men. And while he scoffed and scowled at them, the truth was, deep down Kei appreciated the difference, the liveliness. He was never going to admit it out loud, though. 

“Okay, Bunny. We have everything. Let’s go now.”

From her place in the stroller, Hitoka smiled and waved her arms in what could only be baby excitement. 

Kei smiled at her and fiddled with the bow in her hair. “Yeah, I bet you are happy.” The man put on his headphones and tied his shoes.

With a last quick check at the baby bag and his own stuff, Kei pushed the stroller in the hallway and locked his door. He usually preferred the baby-carrier instead of the stroller when going places. But, he had so many books to take, and his laptop, too, also, Hitoka’s baby-bag. It was easier to load everything in the pushchair and not have to break his back carrying so many things. 

In his head, Kei had started structuring the newest chapter of his thesis. On the side, every few minutes, he was drifting to the work email he received in the morning. His boss wanted two new programs and he had to contact a culture representative from France to discuss future exchange of exhibitions. He needed to send this month’s rent to the landlord. 

After the second time of making the same mental note, Tsukishima realised he’s been standing in the hallway for a while now. 

Hitoka was patiently sitting, playing with her fingers and a plush toy she snatched from home. 

With a frown, Kei pressed the elevator button again and pushed back his headphones. There was no noise. The lack of the usual creaking meant the elevator was broken. 

“Great.” Kei muttered and massaged his forehead. He could feel a headache. A loud joyful greeting from behind him made Kei jump.

“Hey, hey, Tsukki!”

Tsukishima glared at his two neighbours. Bokuto was sporting his usual wide grin. His eyes were sparkling as he enthusiastically jumped over to Kei and the stroller. Kuroo was smirking, nodding at Tsukki. They were both dressed in training clothes so Kei guessed they were going to break some sweat.

“Hey, baby-chan! How are you?” Bokuto was now squated next to the pram. Hitoka, now used to the presence of the two men, smiled at the owl-haired volleyball player. She babbled something in her own language and Bokuto gasped dramatically.

“How scandalous! Tsukki, baby-chan tells me last night you dreamed about us and didn’t even tell us anything.”

Kuroo cackled loudly. Tsukishima didn’t even bother with a comeback. He just intestified his glare.

“Okay, okay. Before you melt your glasses with your flaming frown and intense glaring, share with us where are you going this fine day.”

With a casual hand placed across Kei’s shoulders, Kuroo steered his attention from Bo’s teasing. 

Tsukishima sighed. In the beginning he would stiffen when Kuroo or Bokuto initiated any physical contact. By now, though, he was used to all the shoulder-bumps, frequent unneeded hugging, constantly someone hanging from his shoulder or back, and many more small touches.

“We are going to the library. The elevator is broken.” 

“So you need help with the princess and her carriage?” Tetsurou guessed. He observed with a warm smile how Bokuto engaged in finger tugging game with Hitoka.

“No.” Kei declined with finality and pulled himself from Kuroo.

The black-haired professor grinned and clapped his hands. “Perfect. Bo, take baby-chan, I’ll help Tsukki with the stroller down the stairs.”

“I said I don’t need your help.” Kei argued. He maneuvered the pram away from Bokuto and parked it at the top of the stairs.

“What is this, Tetsu? Did you hear something?” With a dramatic motions, Bokuto questioned his boyfriend. 

“Nope, Bo. All I hear is the sound of silent appreciation and much-deserved gratitude.”

“Bro, I love it when you use big words. It makes me feel all-”

Tsukishima clicked his teeth together in annoyance. “Okay, stop. Fine.” He leaned down and gently lifted Hitoka from the belts holding her. She immediately snuggled against him, still holding on her toy.

“Here. Be _very_ careful.” With a short warning, Kei handed his baby to Kuroo, who took her like he was holding a glass doll. All the mischief from just five seconds ago was gone. He was holding a living baby human.

Hitoka squirmed a little and instinctively Kuroo readjusted her a little. He tugged her closer to his body, resting her on his hip. Automatically, her free hand went over his shoulder as Hitoka got comfortable. Tetsurou basked in the novelty of it. She was so small and tiny. And warm. Also, she wasn’t crying or struggling. This was the first time Kei allowed anyone but himself to hold her and she was behaving so nicely. 

From the corner of his eye Kuroo saw Koutarou’s longing gaze. Biting down a smile, Kuroo turned to his lover and passed the child carefully. He helped his boyfriend to place his hands rightly, based on his two minute experience, he was an expert now.

Hitoka looked confused at the new change but she just rested against Bokuto’s strong hold. 

“Bro!” Bokuto gasped. He seemed to tremble in place. 

“Don’t cry, Bo.”

“She smells like a baby!”

“Well...”

While the two were busy with enjoying Hitoka’s company, Kei had taken everything from the stroller. he folded it, allowing for easier carrying down the stairs.

“Kuroo-san. Here.”

Kei didn’t wait for a proper reaction, he just thrusted his bag full of books and the heavy pram at Kuroo.

Tetsurou grunted under the sudden weight “Tsukki, you know, the library has books, no need to bring from home.”

“Mine have notes.”

Kuroo would have answered if he wasn’t looking at Kei’s ass while the man was bend over to dig out something from the diaper bag.

Bokuto was still basking in the warmth of holding a baby. “She is almost like a volleyball. I can toss her.” And to prove his point he tossed the little girl in the slightly air with surprising delicacy. He caught her and lifted her to eye level. Hitoka was wide-eyed but after a second or two she giggled. Her legs kicked around in her excitement.

“Maybe I can even sp-”

“Bro! Don’t spike the baby!”

Offended, Bokuto pouted at Kuroo. “I wasn’t going to! I wanted to say spin! I can spin her.”

“Don’t spin her.” Tsukishima cut in. He gently took his daughter and gave Bokuto the baby bag and some other things which were previously residing the stroller. Without a word he took down the stairs in fast strides, leaving the couple to handle the heavy lifting. Just before he disappeared from view, Kei turned around with last instructions. 

“Mind the wheels and don’t swing the diaper bag too much, something may spill.”

**_**_ **

Later, the two of them had accompanied the young father to the library’s door, despite his protests and poisonous frowns. Once Kei was inside, Kuroo took Bo’s hand. They walked for a while before Bokuto addressed the issue they were both thinking about.

“Do you really think it will work? The three of us?”

The two of them had spent the last few days discussing their feelings on the topic. Communication is key in a healthy relationship. In the beginning everything was teasing and a playful game, but as they both spent more and more time with Kei, they started to realise it was turning in more than that. Kuroo hummed in thought and leaned over to share a kiss with Bokuto before he answered.

“We won’t force anything on him or on us, Bo. Let’s see how life turns out. Who knows, perhaps he is what we need and we are what he doesn’t know he needs.”

* * *

The following days were relatively calm. Tsukishima worked with Kuroo on the thesis and ran his mornings away with Bokuto. In between, whenever he had free time, the two would find a way to pester him. However, free time was turning into luxury. 

One evening, Kei found himself over at his neighbours’ for dinner and some late-night thesis discussion. 

“The configuration of the bone I put for chemical decomposition in the lab is out. My assistant will mail me the results any moment, but he said something about higher levels of oxides than normal for the same species in earlier periods.”

Listening to Kuroo speak, Kei hummed in thought. If the results confirmed a difference in the variable he was after, then his thesis might actually turn out successful. At least one thing was turning out right.

The evening was pleasant. Even though all day his mind was buzzing with unfinished tasks and the urgency of tomorrow’s day, right now Kei felt relaxed. He held a cold beer in one hand and a piece of paper in the other. 

Kuroo was sitting next to him, on the balcony, rambling about some chemicals and lab results. The easy-going rumble of his voice was accompanied by the gentle summer breeze. 

On a warm blanket on the ground, Bokuto and Hitoka were fast asleep. They were surrounded by soft toys. 

The sun was long gone from view, but there was still some light in the sky. The dark blue was settling into black, with the occasional orange and red hues dancing among the few fluffy clouds.

Without a sound, Tsukishima stood up and kneeled next to his baby. Her chest was moving with her deep breathes. Kei ran his fingers through her fine hair. He pulled on a light and colorful sheet from one of the corners of the blanket and covered her tiny form. 

Trying to seem completely nonchalant, he made sure the sheet covered as much of Bokuto, as possible. Given the big physique of the man and the enormous difference in size compared to Hitoka, only some of his waist and legs found themselves under the cover, but it was enough.

Bokuto sighed in his sleep and shifted slightly. Kei froze in place, afraid he had awaken the man.

“Don’t worry, he sleeps like a rock.”

At Kuroo’s reassurance, Tsukishima nodded and stood up. He stretched a little, making his back pop. With a wince and a tired rub of his eyes underneath his glasses, the blonde man returned to his place next to Tetsurou. 

Kuroo patted him on the knee once. “Thank you.”

“What for?”

The professor didn’t answer. Instead he took a swing from his beer. Kei did the same. His gaze wandered around the small balcony. It was identical to his own, yet entirely different. The string of paper lights hanging over their heads made for a pleasant atmosphere. If he were to turn around and look at his own terrace space, he would see an empty square with a single bench.

“You seem out of it today, Tsukishima.” Kuroo commented. 

Their eyes met and Kei could have sworn he saw concern on Tetsurou’s face. Nodding once as affirmation, Kei locked his stare at Hitoka and Koutarou peacefully sleeping on the ground. 

Unconsciously, Tsukishima matched his breathing to Bokuto’s even breaths. 

“Kuroo-san, can I ask a serious favor?”

“Hmm?”

“Tomorrow I’m called at work for an emergency meeting. It was hinted to me that a child there is not appropriate. I have a babysitter for these cases but she is sick. My back-ups are all busy, too.”

The call from his boss had made Kei anxious throughout the whole day. Kiyoko, the regular babysitter was out of town. All three of his friends were also busy. Missing work was not a choice. He couldn’t afford the loss of a regular paycheck. If it was only him - there would be no problem. But he had a small innocent soul to take care of. Bills to pay, food to buy.

Kuroo put away the folder with all the research information. He placed his now empty bottle by the leg of the chair and faced Tsukishima. “Are you implying what I think you are?”

“.... If it isn’t going to be mendling with any already existing plans of yours, could you look after Hitoka for a few hours?”

With wide eyes and not very well hidden excitement, Kuroo agreed.

“Tsukki, don’t be so formal! Of course we’ll look after the small bean! Bo has practice but he should be home around lunch time. I have no classes and my only scheduled meeting is in late afternoon. It’s fine.”

“Thank you.” Kei bowed deeply at the waist, almost hitting his head on Kuroo’s knees.

Startled, Tetsurou hurriedly pushed Kei upwards.

“Stop with your formalities.”

For the next twenty minutes, Kei explained in detail the most important things about baby-care. Feeding, diaper-change, how to sooth her if distressed, how to put her down for a nap. Afterwards they sat in comfortable silence. Bokuto’s deep exhales and Hitoka’s occasional hums were the only noises. More and more stars were starting to appear on the sky. Kuroo was the first to break the silence.

“Kei, how do you manage on your own?”

“With what?”

“Life.”

Quietness settled around them again. The sky was now almost completely dark. No orange was in sight. A range of dark blue hues melted in each other. The moon had taken it’s reign. High up there, so far away. Untouchable.

The bright shine of the moon reflected on Tsukishima’s glasses as he responded. “I learn as I go.” His voice was even. 

“For how long has this been going on?” Kuroo noticed the slight hitch of Kei’s next words. As always, Tsukishima was stoic in front of him. Holding up strong and unwavering. But something in his eyes was starting to crumble. Something deep in his soul.

“A little after Hitoka was born.” The answer sounded robotically monotonic. Tsukishima was still keeping his head tilted upwards, staring at the moon. However, Kuroo was sure his mind was actually somewhere very far away. For a minute or two nobody spoke. Usually pretty confident in his social skills, Kuroo was thinking he made a mistake by opening this topic. Just as he was about to mutter an apology and move on, Kei opened his mouth and the same distant tone filled the summer night. 

“I was in China at the time. Of course, all time difference aside, I saw Hitoka via video the moment they gave her to her mom. Aikiteru was crying like a baby.” His fingers were twitching a little. A smile graced his face. As fast as it popped-up, the smile turned in a frown.

“Two weeks after this, I was called because an accident has happened. I don’t know how I reached the airport, who paid for the ticket or when did I arrive at the hospital. When I got there, my brother and his wife were already gone. Only little Hitoka was left, all alone and so tiny. I signed a lot of documents that day.” 

The refreshing breeze felt a lot heavier all of a sudden. Tetsurou gasped. “Kei...”

In Tsukishima’s lap, his hands formed fists.

“The first days I barely touched her. I only changed her diapers, which, I had no idea how to do. Feeding was also another trial-mistake experience. The nurses at the hospital were extremely helpful. My friends, too… One of them has a younger sister and he came over after the funeral. I didn’t even know how to hold her. I didn’t know if I wanted to hold her. She was his, not mine. And he was gone.”

Kuroo placed a hand on Kei’s shoulder, hoping to bring the man back to reality. “Kei, you don’t have to-”

Not registering him at all, Tsukishima continued. His eyes never leaving the moon. “But she is the sweetest thing, ever. She is this innocent life who is not at fault for anything. The very first time I _held_ her, I knew she was now mine. We only have each other and we must stick together. People realise the hard way that having a child doesn’t put life on pause, you know. Not for me. Aside from my daughter I have my PhD, I sometimes tutor students in the library, I found work at the museum, I’m lucky to be able to mostly work from home…”

“And what about you?” 

Tetsurou’s question brought Kei back, hard. The blond man blinked in surprise and turned towards Kuroo, whose hand was still resting on Kei’s shoulder.

“Me? What about me?” The confusion was clear in Kei’s voice. His eyebrows furrowed.

Kuroo licked his lips and laughed humorlessly. “When do you _live_?”

With no amount of doubt Kei answered immediately. “When she is happy.” His gaze found Hitoka. A smile emerged again.

Up above their heads, the sky was now all black. No blue or orange. Small blinking stars dotted the endless vastness. 

Kuroo shook his head in disbelief. Rougher than he intended, Kuroo grabbed Tsukishima by the shoulders and made the blonde man face him.

“You should live for yourself. That’s how you can guarantee her happiness.” Kuroo raised his voice without even realising. He was clearly worked-up over this. On the blanket, Bokuto stirred but didn’t wake up. Hitoka slept on, undisturbed. 

At first, Kei stared with wide eyes at Kuroo. Then his surprise turned in puzzlement. “What?”

This time minding his volume, Tetsurou replied. “You can’t do this to yourself, Kei. She will grow up, her life will inevitably move her from you one day. What are you gonna do then? Stay here with your endless books? How will this make her feel? Seeing you like this?”

Tsukishima had no words. He simply looked on directly in Kuroo’s gaze. The man’s golden eyes were swimming with emotion. His usually sharp features were soft now. The hold he had on Kei lessened until it was a warm pressure of comfort. Not losing steam, the university professor went on. 

“Don’t think of your life as less than hers. You are both equally important. That’s what family is all about, in my opinion.”

Not giving Tsukishima time to say anything, Kuroo scooted over and embraced his companion. He purposely put one hand on Kei’s head to gently guide it against his shoulder. Kei stiffened, but Kuroo didn’t let go. As the seconds went by, so did the tension in Tsukishima’s body. Before he knew it, he was relaxing completely against Kuroo. His eyes were moist with unshed tears. The moon was high above them, unreachable and cold. In Kuroo’s arms, Kei was warm. Deep in his very being, the giant stone walls around his soul were falling.

* * *

“And this is me, too. And here I am at a biiig tournament in Brazil.” Bokuto pointed at a picture of his volleyball team, specifically holding his finger over his own image in the photo. Slowly and with a big grin he turned over to the next glossy page in the magazine he had open. 

“Who is this amazing person, you wonder? It’s me, of course. Look at that hand spiking the volleyball over the net.” His grin was as wide as it could possibly be. “Oh, you don’t know what a net is? It’s this white… net, which divides the court in two half so two teams can play. Mhm, it’s very cool.”

From his lap, Hitoka looked at all the colours on the pages with great interest. It was shiny and radiant. She slapped a hand over the page and gurgled something.

Koutarou gasped. “You think I am the coolest? Thank you, Toka-chan. Look, they even took a photo of me on the beach. I should show it to your daddy.”

“Bo, you’ve been showing her the same article for the last thirty minutes.” 

Kuroo leaned over the back of the couch. He put his hands around his boyfriend’s neck and kissed him on the neck before he placed a small kiss on the baby’s head, too. At the sudden arrival of a second person, Hitoka wiggled around in her haste to see who it was. With Bokuto’s careful help she found herself standing up, on his knees, with her arms held securely by him. Now she faced Kuroo and he blew some air in her face with a teasing smile.

Hitoka stood still for some moments, but then she giggled and spat some drool down her chin.

“Ah, man, don’t make her do that.” Bokuto pleaded and stood up. He handed the child to Kuroo, who took her with a laugh. He cuddled her and then let her on the ground. A blanket was spread on the floor but it was pointless as Hitoka crawled away often. She liked to be next to someone. At first, she was greatly upset when Kei left her. With a great deal of improvisation, Tetsurou and Koutarou managed to grab her attention and keep her happy. 

“So, Toka-chan, you want to watch some TV?” Of course, Bokuto didn’t get an answer. Hitoka was busy inspecting the barstool. However, that didn’t discourage the man one bit. Kuroo shook his head fondly from behind the kitchen counter were he as preparing lunch. The TV was on and immediately Koutarou put on a video of a recent match he had. He put the volume down, more than usual.

“Come here, Toka-chan! Have you seen anyone play volleyball? You’ll see the best ace now.”

Surprisingly, Hitoka actually crawled around the couch. She stopped next to Bokuto’s legs and using the table as leverage, she pulled herself up on unsteady feet. 

She watched the game, figures and colours moving fast on the screen. There was a slow motion replay of one of Kou’s spikes and then Hitoka gasped. “Gwah!”

“Yes! Toka-chan! That’s me, yeah. Testu, she recognized me!”

“Calm down, bro.”

_******* _

“When I saw Bokuto across the gym the first time, I thought ‘What a fine asshole, this guy.’ ”

“Hey!”

“It’s true! Ask Kenma! He was there. So, anyways, he turns out to be a true ace.”

The three of them - Kuroo, Bokuto and Hitoka, were laying on the couple’s big bed, with the baby staying in the middle.

She was asleep on her back, a pink pacifier occupying her mouth. In one hand she had a plush dinosaur dressed as a bunny, while the other hand was fisted in Bo’s loose shirt. Kuroo had taken it upon himself to tell a bedtime (lunch-time-nap) story. He was slowly patting Hitoka’s tummy in a rhythmic gentle pattern.

“I couldn’t get him out of my mind, you know? They totally beat us up, but on our next match we destroyed them.” Hitoka continued sleeping soundlessly and undisturbed. Next to her, Bokuto was dozing off. The man was blinking owlishly at his dark-haired boyfriend. Kuroo’s steady voice and the fondness of the story were lulling him to sleep. Tetsurou smiled softly, not his usual smirk or mischievous grin. He reached across the baby to caress Koutarou on the cheek tenderly.

“He was full of life. Toka-chan, you probably know already, but Bo has the biggest heart. He can give you tons of love and still have an endless supply.” Bokuto’s eyes were now closed and his breathing was evening out. With one of his hands still on Hitoka and the other holding Bokuto, Kuroo sighed with great affection.

“Sometimes, baby-chan, you look someone in the eyes and just know you’ll do everything to have their heart. You’ll give them the very last drop of your being, if needed, but they’ll be yours, because you have been theirs for a long time.”

Tetsurou felt how heavy his tongue was all of a sudden. His eyelids dropped and his hand stilled on Hitoka, just a soft weight there. Right before he lost the fight with consciousness, Tetsuro managed to open his lips. “You’ll know one day, Hitoka, love is scarier and more powerful than everything.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! I'll be happy to hear your thoughts :)
> 
> This wasn't nearly as fluffy as I could have made it, but I think it's fine for now :D 
> 
> Have a great rest of the week!


	5. A dream is a wish your heart makes

“Say, Bo, do you have to reaaaaaally go?”

Bokuto grinned and indulged his boyfriend by turning over in bed, snuggling in Kuroo’s arms. 

The clock on the nightstand showed an ungodly by normal standards hour. The black curtains in the bedroom were blocking the early sunlight. Outside, the normally busy streets were bare and calm. 

Placing his ear over Kuroo’s heart, Koutarou relaxed with a happy hum. Kuroo started taping an unfamiliar beat against Bokuto’s naked waist. Being extremely ticklish, Koutarou stiffened and giggled every time Tetsurou’s fingers touched him there.

“My dearest of all, I have to go.”

The two men often gave themselves to morning affection. Simple, cosy and lovely cuddles. This was the time before practise, before classes, lectures or workshops. There was no spiking, no serves, no papers, students or coaches. Only Tetsurou and Koutarou.

But time wasn’t endless and sadly this tiny moment of utter peacefulness was always broken by the unstoppable force of everyday life. Just like the seconds of the clock, life flowed in even string and no amount of power could change it. However, recently this string brought new adventures in their lives. New pair of eyes - strong, determined, closed-off, guarded and beautiful. And a tiny wriggly creature full of wonderful smiles and poopy diapers.

With a last shared kiss, Bokuto rolled off the bed and went to the bathroom. Shortly, he was ready for his morning jog. He was biting in an apple when Kuroo emerged from the bedroom, only donning a red pair of underwear. His hair was sinfully messy as always. With a mischievous smirk, the tall man leaned against the kitchen counter.

“Bother Kei extra from me. And tell him it’s high time he joins us on our weekend volleyball matches.”

“You got it, babe!” Bokuto saluted. He threw away the apple core and washed his hands. Slapping Kuroo on the ass in passing, Koutarou headed towards the front door.

“And tell baby-chan I miss her!”

“Aye, aye, captain!” 

Usually, Tsukishima came out with the stroller around five minutes after Bokuto. Today, he was taking longer.

At first, Bokuto didn’t note this as alarming. He did some stretches. Five more minutes passed and still no father and child in sight. Feeling a little twitchy, Bo scrolled through his phone. The hallway was devoid of any noise at this time of the day. Distantly, he could make out the sound of Kuroo putting on the coffee machine in their apartment. Then the TV turned on. From Kei’s side of the building it was deadly quiet. With a frown he knocks on the door. He didn’t ring the bell in fear of waking up little Hitoka. 

No answer. Complete silence. His body filled with chills. He ran back home.

Kuroo, now sipping on steaming coffee while listening to the morning news, jumped in surprise when his boyfriend basically flew in the room. Clearly he was very agitated. His usually shining face was clouded by a deep scowl. It looked extremely unnatural and out of place on him.

“Bo! What happened?” 

Kuroo put his cup on the coffee table and went to Bokuto, trying to pat him down for any injuries.

“Something is wrong with Tsukki!”

Tetsurou paused with hands raised awkwardly in the air.

“What?” It was barely over a whisper. Bokuto almost didn’t hear it over the TV chatter. Though, he felt it breathed out against his skin. Kuroo smelled like coffee.

“He didn’t come out. And it’s so quiet! I knocked - but nada.” 

The distress in Bokuto’s voice ruffled Kuroo in all the wrong places. Bokuto may be a dramatic fella, but he never misjudged a situation. There was a reason why he was a captain of a National level team. He was well on his way of becoming a captain of the national team. 

So, if Bokuto thinks something is seriously wrong - it mostly likely is. Kuroo went to retrieve his phone from the bedroom and dialed Tsukishima’s number. When nobody picked up after five signals, he hang up and pulled Bokuto with him to the balcony. They stood next to the dividing hedge. Kei’s bedroom curtains were down, meaning the two men couldn’t see a thing inside. His balcony door was open, though. The summer nights were becoming hotter and it wasn’t rare to leave it open for some air flow. An open balcony door also indicated that Kei was definitely home. Zero hesitation powered their next decision. In a single jump, Bokuto and Kuroo were over the plants separating the two properties. Once inside the other apartment, Kuroo called out. “Sorry for the intrusion! Tsukki? You here?”

The bare walls couldn’t answer them. It was always striking how different this place was compared to theirs. While they had color, photos, plants and _life_ , here plain simplicity clashed with an empty feel. Once Bokuto had commented that Tsukki’s place was like a showroom in a furniture shop. Kei had glared for the whole day afterwards. He shared that he hadn’t changed much after moving in because he didn’t have the time.

“Tsukki!?” Bokuto called. His voice echoed. He was about to say something but Kuroo caught his wrist gently.

They listen carefully and heard a low whining noise. Very familiar sound of distress. It wasn’t too clear, as it was coming from the closed bedroom door, but surely enough Hitoka’s distraught cries carried on through the air.

With hitched breath Kuroo opened the door. 

“Kei!”

His voice was loud in his panic and it startled Hitoka, who now full on cried from her crib.

On the ground, in between his bed and the crib was Kei. Lying lifeless. 

“Bo, take care of Toka-chan.” Kuroo said and then fell on his knees next to the unmoving blonde. The man was in pajama shorts, his torso was naked. With relief Kuroo noticed the steady rise and fall of Tsukishima’s chest. Next thing he registered was how warm Tsukki was. His body was hot to the touch and little beads of sweat were forming on his forehead.

In the background, Bokuto had managed to calm Hitoka down and the baby was now sitting anxiously in the strong hold of the volleyball player. Her tiny body with its pink onesie was dwarfed against him. It would have been comical if Kei wasn’t unconscious on the ground.

“He has a high fever. Help me get him in bed, please. Then we can make Toka-chan some breakfast and look for any medicine for Kei.”

Bokuto nodded and placed Hitoka back in her crib. The baby instantly protested.

“Don’t worry, baby-chan, it’s just so we can help daddy, okay. He is fine, just a little sick.”

When Kuroo started speaking, Hitoka paused her whines. With tearful eyes she observed as her papa was lifted and carried carefully to his bed. As they were arranging him on the sheets, Kei opened his eyes. His gaze was clearly feverish and glassy. Without his glasses on, he had to squint at the two figures above him.

“Kuroo? Bokuto? Whatcha doin’ here?” His words were slurred, his throat dry.

“It’s fine, Kei. You scared us, but you’ll be fine.”

Bokuto’s explanation didn’t placate the sick man. “It’s very hot.” He moaned in discomfort. He felt clammy. “You are also very hot.” Kei blurted out a red flush coloring his pale cheeks.

“Oh?!” Gasped Bokuto and Kuroo with matching grins. Bokuto boomed out a laugh while Kuroo smirked down at Tsukki’s flushed body. “What is this, Mr. Tsukishima? Are you flirting with us?”

Kei didn’t respond, he just blinked at the two of them. All of a sudden his feverish mind alerted him of something. He sat up sharply. His vision spun.

“Hitoka!”

Tenderly, Bokuto pushed Kei back against his pillows. “She is okay. She is here.”

The assurance that his daughter was well was enough to make Kei relax. 

“We’ll feed her and prepare something for you. You sleep now, okay?”

Kuroo didn’t receive an answer. Kei’s eyes were already fluttering closed. With last found strength in his tired body, Tsukishima extended one hand and grabbed Bokuto by the t-shirt. 

“Don’ leave.”

“Shhh, Tsukki. We are just going to the kitchen for a moment. We are here. We won’t leave you alone. Never, Kei. We promise.”

“ ‘kay.”

Bokuto stood up carefully and exited the bedroom to poke a head in the fridge and complain about the lack of real food. On his way out of the room, after picking up Hitoka, Kuroo opened a window so some fresh air entered. 

“Rest well, Tsukki. We’ll take care of you.”

With a last glance at the sleeping man, Kuroo gently closed the door and entered the living room. 

* * *

Some phone calls were made in order to clear the day’s schedule. Feeding Hitoka and changing her diaper was the fun part. Feeding Kei and changing his pajama bottoms was the hard part. The man got clingy and whiny with his fever. It was amusing. 

Kuroo took Hitoka with him to cook some chicken soup. He found a swinging baby-chair-craddle and placed her there. She seemed content enough to suck on her pacifier and enjoy the rocking motions of the chair as Kuroo stepped around her, inspecting every cupboard for ingredients.

Meanwhile, Bokuto joined Kei in bed, snuggling to the tall young man. He dozed off at one point and was awaken by a giggle some time later. With a sleepy groan he prayed his eyelids open and was gifted the sight of his amazing Kuroo leaning over the bed, changing the cold compress on Tsukki’s forehead. From the other side of the room, another giggle made its presence known. Bokuto amused propped himself up against the pillows, doing his best not to disturb the still sleeping Tsukishima next to him.

“What are you laughing at, you cutey ball of sunshine?” 

Hitoka clapped her hands and laughed more. She was in her crib, wearing a fresh green dress. Her hair was styled in two pigtails which were bouncing adorably with her every move.

Kuroo chuckled and sat on the bed. “She is in a good mood, I think.”

Bokuto stood up and stretched. “Bro, mind taking up my tedious task of cuddling up our sick prince charmless?”

“I don’t know how I’ll live with this burden on my shoulders.”

“Bro! You are still only in pants.”

Kuroo looked at himself and shrugged. He maneuvered himself over Kei’s body and took Bokuto’s still warm space.

“I can take them off, yo.” Kuroo wiggled his eyebrows. 

“Please don’t.” Came a croaking rough voice. 

“Tsukki!” The couple exclaimed. Hitoka greeted her papa in her own gibberish.

“I knew the prospect of seeing me naked would awaken you! That’s just how great I am.”

“Ugh.”

“Bro.”

Koutarou left the room for a second and returned with a glass of water. “Drink some water, mister Sickman.” Kuroo helped the blonde man to sit up, taking the compress from him for the time being.

Taking the offered water with a glare, Kei gladly drank it all. His throat felt dry as a desert. His temple was throbbing. 

“Why are you here?” He demanded. His mind was hazy and he couldn’t recall anything since going to bed really last night with the biggest headache in the history of mankind.

Tetsurou gasped dramatically. “You mean you don’t remember us kissing you awake?”

Kei glared harder at the blurry shape of the tall dark head. Bokuto chuckled and patted Tsukki on the chest. The man then proceeded to explain briefly the situation from this morning. 

“It’s like Sleeping Beauty. Your princes broke the curse!” Kuroo stated theatrically. He jumped from the bed and bowed. “How are you feeling, prince?”

“Like I want to stab you.” 

Bokuto clutched his sides in laughter. Kuroo bit his lip and raised a finger in though.

“I’m open to some stabbing action, but with a different weapon.” Bokuto laughed harder. Hitoka joined in, even if she had no idea why he was laughing so much.

“Leave and perish.”

“Tsukki! Don’t be so cold. Here, take these pills and sleep some more. I have some Chicken soup ready for lunch.”

Wordlessly Kei took the offered medicine and gulpted it with the last of the water. Despite his annoyance at the two’s antics, he smiled at his Hitoka and her joyfulness. 

“Now sleep and have good dreams, Tsukki.” He was forced to lay back down.

“I don’t want to dream, let me get up.” Kei demanded with a wince. His head still hurt and the idea of another nap was more tempting than he liked to admit.

“Everybody want to dream!” Tetsurou stated as a matter of fact. With a determined expression, he picked up Hitoka from the crib and hoisted her against his chest. “I know a song fitting for a Sleeping Beauty! Bo, humm for me, please.”

With a sparkling light of amusement, Bokuto indulged his boyfriend, as if reading his mind. He started to purr out a melody. Kei scowled and was ready to kick both of them out when Kuroo started singing.

“A dream is a wish your heart makes when you are fast asleep” Kei stood speechless. Tetsurou began swaying from one foot to the other. “In dreams you will lose your heartaches. Whatever you wish for, you keep”

Bokuto’s humming got softer as if he was giving way to Kuroo’s voice.

With a slow spin Tetsurou carried out the song “Have faith in your dreams and someday your rainbow will come smiling through” Hitoka stared at the man holding her. He grinned at her and waltzed around the bedroom in bigger steps. “No matter how your heart is grieving

If you keep on believing” As Hitoka started babbling along Kuroo’s steady voice. Kei put a hand against his mouth. His headache was forgotten. His eyes were misty but not only from the fever still raging in his body. 

The last spin lead Kuroo to Kei’s side of the bed. He bent at the waist and lowered Hitoka to her papa’s face. 

“The dream that you wish will come true” Kuroo whispered at the end, mostly in Kei’s ear.

Tsukishima shuddered a little. Gulping, he hugged Hitoka and basked in her smell and warmth. “Okay, okay.” He gave up with a deep sigh. He had to get better, after all. He offered Hitoka to Bokuto after some last kisses. Kuroo rearranged his pillows and put back his cold compress.

Kei’s eyes were already getting closed when his head hit the pillow. 

“Sweet dreams, Kei.” 

In the floaty confusing place between sleep and awakeness, Tsukishima felt a pair of lips on his cheek. 

A hushed whisper broke the peacefulness of the moment. 

“Bro, wasn’t this song from Cinderella and not from Sleeping Beauty?”

“Shhhh, Bo! He is obviously very uncultured in this area. He won’t know the difference. ”

The last thought he had before he was unconscious was _‘I want to kill them._ ’ He drifted off with a smile.

* * *

His caretakers stayed for lunch. And after lunch. And after that, too. They didn’t let him do anything beside lay in bed and rest. Which was secretly fine with Kei. In the late afternoon, Kei’s mind woke before his body did. His limbs felt heavy, but his mind was definitely more clear than earlier. His right foot twitched a little and he felt something, no, someone, next to him. Turning his head felt like a chore but he managed. Kei blinked his eyes open. He was met with messy black hair and the relaxed face of Dr. Kuroo Tetsurou. The man was sleeping, one of his legs thrown over Tsukki’s and a hand resting across Kei’s middle. It felt warm and heavy. Kei didn’t protest. On his other side was Bokuto. With little movement, Tsukki shifted a little to see the other man. He was also sleeping, soundly, on his back. And then, there, on his broad chest was little Hitoka. The baby was napping on her tummy, a pacifier in her mouth and one tiny hand clutching at Kei’s finger where his hand was slightly bend over Bokuto.

For a while Kei stared at the ceiling. Now that his mind was clear, he realised how vulnerable they had seen him. Sick to the brain in his bones, delirious with fever. Unable to properly care for his child. He felt mortified. His breathing started picking up. They saved him, in many ways. And they lost their days to care for him and Hitoka.

Kei imagined what could have happened if anyone else found him passed out on the ground with a crying baby in the room. He could have gotten Hitoka taken from him. He couldn’t live if they took her. The weight of Kuroo’s arm and the pressure of Bokuto’s shoulder against him grounded Kei’s panicked mind. He took control of himself. Everything was okay. He was feeling better and nobody was taking his baby. It was hot and sticky, but he didn’t want to move.

Tenderly, he stroked Hitoka’s cheek with a finger and then patted Bokuto on the head. Afterwards, his hand met Kuroo’s and he intertwined their fingers. On his other side, Hitoka was still holding on strongly on him. He rested their connected hands on Bokuto’s side. 

With a deep content feeling of satisfaction, Tsukki closed his eyes. It was still sunny outside, but that didn’t matter to anyone in this bedroom.

After Kei’s breathing evened out, Kuroo and Bo shared a smug look over his head and silently high-fived.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! I'll be happy to hear your thoughts :)
> 
> This chapter is a little bit shorter than the previous ones. I'm a sucker for Disney songs, you are lucky you only got one :D Sick Kei is a tad bit clingy and soft. Not as stingy. Rhymes, man. Next chapter is the end. It has to come up on Monday, but there is a slight chance of delay.
> 
> Have a great weekend :)


	6. Papa, love

Two months was a short time, objectively speaking. Sixty-one days. That’s the exact period since Bokuto and Kuroo nursed Kei back on his feet. Two months was just enough time to slowly and steadily shift things between the three men. A growing bond was strengthening. 

Aside from shameless flirting and teasing, they started exchanging touches and kisses. At first strictly innocent, gradually turning into lingering and lasting steamy affection. Kuroo and Bokuto were pleasantly surprised to discover that the harsh and closed-off Tsukishima Kei was actually quite daring and fond in his own way.

The man had his methods of expressing tenderness. This private side was endearing and fascinating. Koutarou and Tetsurou were more than eager to return the affection, sometimes multiplied by hundred, often provoking a frown out of their Kei. However, slowly, with the passing of the days, they learned to distinguish the different kinds of scowls and apathetic anger which Kei liked to showcase. They knew when when a specific line was crossed. 

For all three of them, the whole ordeal was a trial and error experience. There were times when the situation called for a break. There was the rising of voices, the angry words, gestures and bickering. It was inevitable in the beginning of a relationship, even if two of the people had a serious previous background. Sometimes the clash of the  _ new  _ turned out to be too much for all of them.

But the good thing was that Kei, Koutarou and Tetsurou all felt the need to be patient and to fight for this little thing they had going on. A human learns until his last breath and if deep in your soul you feel the need to open your heart to someone, you’ll always find the right way. 

Adapting happens unconsciously if you feel comfortable. Comfort brought warmth. 

Part of their new dynamics was making Kei indulge in some well-deserved free time. Kuroo and Bokuto would babysit not only when Tsukki had work, but also when he had opportunity to go out with his friends. Yamaguchi, Hinata and Kageyama were his closest mates from way back in high school. They were good and fun people, who had helped Kei in his hardest moments to the best of their abilities. After a particularly successful pouting session from Bokuto, Kei had joined for a friendly volleyball game one weekend. He called in his friends, too and he would never admit it, but it was one of the best weekends he’s had in the last year or so. 

And then, there was Hitoka. Little, adorable Hitoka with her laughs and smiles. The tiny girl was the tying knot of their intertwined strings of fate. She got so used to Kuroo and Bokuto that Kei wondered if she was able to properly recall the time when it was just Hitoka and Kei.

She was starting to walk now. That scared her and she mostly did it when someone was holding her. She was also saying her first words. Her main vocabulary consisted of ‘papa’ for Kei, ‘bobo’ for Bokuto, ‘dino’ and ‘love’. It was like every single day she had something new to say. Yet, no matter what, she would never address Kuroo by name or nickname. The man was going insane with his attempts to prompt the baby to say ‘Kuroo’ or ‘Tetsu’ but she only ever grinned and gurgled at him, laughing at her own words as if enjoying greatly Tetsurou’s frustration.

“It’s all because you read to her your paleontology books. You broke her mind. She said ‘dino’ before she said ‘papa’!” Kuroo complained dramatically one evening. The four of them were in Kei’s apartment. The man was giving Hitoka her night bottle. She was cradled in his arms, donning an onesie which Bokuto had customly made with printed out ‘Bobo’s little ace’ on the front. Hitoka always liked to be lulled to sleep in someone’s arms and while Tsukishima was aware this was a bad habit, he sometimes gave himself to her innocent big eyes. He strode up and down his bedroom, gently swaying the child as not to disturb her drinking and at the same time to hush her mind in the smooth embrace of dreamland.

In passing, he would read out-loud from a thick old book, open on his dresser. He believed that the tone was what mattered to babies, not the content of the text. So he usually spent many hours reading to her about the different bone parts of dinosaurs, their teeth, eating habits, the way to distinguish between the periods, mating rituals and habitat peculiarities. He didn’t know about Hitoka, but this was the fastest way to get Bokuto to sleep. 

At Kuroo’s whining, Kei smirked. 

“Well, at least she said ’papa’...”

Kuroo pouted and crossed his arms. He was sitting on the bed, observing tenderly as Toka-chan’s eyelids became heavier and heavier, until her eyes closed completely and Kei carefully removed the empty baby bottle from her light hold. Next to Tetsu, Koutarou was already a goner, snoring for the last ten minutes, having given up on the second page of the book.

“At this point she will say ‘ectothermic reptile’ before she says ‘Kuroo’!”

With great care Kei placed Hitoka in her crib and covered her lovingly with a soft blanket. Then he turned around, still smirking.

“I don’t see a problem in this.”

“Tsukki!”

Tsukishima’s smirk reshaped in a smile and he bit his lips to hide it. With one last look at Hitoka’s slumbering form, Kei opened the door and made an inviting gesture.

“Let’s leave our babies to rest. I have something more exciting planned for us two.”

At these words Kuroo’s scowl evaporated and his trademarked mischievous grin appeared in its place.

“Oh ho ho, Tsukki, I like where this is going.” He jumped from the bed, stopping only to kiss Bokuto and to peek on Hitoka. 

“Dressed or undressed, how do you want me?” Tetsurou wiggled his eyebrows seductively. The two of them left the quiet bedroom and entered the living room. 

Kei stared at him with a deadpan expression. “It doesn’t matter really, you can write with your penis out if that’s what works for you.”

“Huh?”

“Come on, Kuroo. These pages won’t magically write themselves.”

“Tsukkiiiii. I thought we were gonna have some sexy-us-time.”

“Well, it’s your problem for thinking this, I never said anything like this. Instead, we’ll have guess-the-chemical-in-the-next-bone-sample-us-time.”

“Tsukkiiiiiiiii. At least give me a hug.”

“No.”

“Come on, Tsukkiiiiiii.”

“Stop whining, we have to get to work.”

“A huuuug.”

“Okay, fine. A short one. I said a short one, let go of me. KUROO!” With a deep sigh Kei leaned into the welcomed touch. “Okay, fine! We can do the do, but then you start typing the new protocol from lab, okay?”

“Deal.”

\---

The atmosphere in a gym during volleyball game was something distinctively familiar yet somehow entirely new to Tsukishima. In high school, he was always on the court, or, if observing from the stands, he never had to share his personal space in such way as now. 

Professional volleyball had many fans and games sold fast. The seats were always full. This was his first time watching a game live, instead on TV. Thanks to Bokuto, Kei and Kuroo had relatively good places, but still the other onlookers were way too close for Kei’s liking. 

The whole joyful feeling in the air, the cheers and the positive energy swimming in the air from all around, made everything kind of worth it. Bokuto nodding concentrated at his coach down on the court was enough to make Kei sit through the whole ordeal. The man was more than worth it.

Hitoka was strapped to his chest securely with the baby carrier. At first she had trouble adjusting to the mass of new faces. The pair of sound-canceling headphones on her head helped tremendously. The whole cacophony of noise stayed muffed for the little girl. 

The gym was bright, not only with sound. Everybody was grinning and cheering as if by pure energy. Flags, posters, chants, the support for the two teams was intense. The spirit of the audience carried on to the players below. Kei wondered if the pressure was bigger knowing that so many people’s hopes were directed on you. Eyes, souls, hearts. They wanted the win, but you were the one who had to acquire it. 

Someone tapped him on the shoulder and instinctively one of his hand flew over Hitoka’s head, while he once again had to shake his head in apology and explain that the seats next to him were taken. When the person moved away, Tsukishima rolled his eyes in annoyance.

His attention fell on the court again. There was still some time before the match started. He spotted Bokuto. The man was jittery with an almost blank expression on his usually sunny face. He did some light stretches and then went to say something to one of his teammates. It was obvious for Kei by his walking alone, that Koutarou was not okay. Something was wrong. He had never seen him so out of it.

Immediately, asking Kuroo came to mind. But the tall black-haired male had gone to meet with their friends. With the mutual love for volleyball, their friend group had merged in one.

Kei feared there was no time to wait for Kuroo to come back. With his mind made up, he stood up carefully and placed the diaper bag in his stead. He scattered as many of their belongings as possible around the seats, making it obvious they were taken.

With one hand on Hitoka’s back, rubbing gently the baby, Tsukki made his way out of the stands. He bumped in more people that he would have liked, but at the end he managed to exit the area. The first thing he did was take a big gulp of air. It felt cooler and fresher. The noise was like a faraway buzzing now. It was empty. 

Finding the entrance for the players and personnel wasn’t hard. Kei still remembered the layout of a typical gym from his own experience. Surprisingly no one paid him any mind. Perhaps carrying a baby around made you look unthreatening. Bokuto stood out among the constant flow of staff. Their eyes met and with a curt nod, Kei motioned to Koutarou to come. 

Bokuto followed with stiff steps. Once they were in a remotely private area, Kei tapped his foot in no particular rhythm.

“What happened?”

Bokuto clenched his fists and glared at the ground. “I’m fine.”

“Obviously, you aren’t.” Kei stated with a raised eyebrow.

When Bokuto stood silent, Tsukishima clicked his teeth. He wanted to yell, but quickly put a stop to his frustration. It wasn’t fair to put Kou in such position when he was already worked up. Instead, Kei stepped closer to the other man and reached with his hand. He placed it on Kou’s shoulder and tightened his fingers.

“Bokuto, whatever is going on in that thick head of yours, you can share with me.”

The weight of comfort made Koutarou crumble. He leaned forward and put his face in Kei’s neck, being mindful of Hitoka. There, he confessed what had taken hold of his spirit. 

He was the captain of this team, they were on the verge of Nationals and Bokuto feared about the outcome of the game. The black vines of self-doubt and pressure were suffocating him. He felt insecure. This was his biggest game so far.

Kei listen patiently, still holding on Bokuto. He paid no mind to the passing by staff or the sounds from the gym. Koutarou’s voice was the only thing that mattered at the moment.

“I forgot how to spike, Tsukki!” At this whine and the following sniff, Kei’s eye twitched. He huffed and smacked Bokuto upside the head.

“You are so stupid, honestly.” 

“Tsukkiiii!”

“Well, you are! How can you doubt yourself like that?!” 

Tsukishima’s voice grew in volume. He breathed deeply as if to contain himself. Pushing Bokuto away from him, he adjusted his glasses and looked the man straight in the eyes. Two pairs of gold met and locked together.

“It’s normal to feel worried. This shows that you are a reliable captain. It means you realise you must be careful and you're not underestimating your opponent.” This time his words came up even in an even tone. Voice sure like stone and eyes sharp, Kei saw Bokuto’s breath hitching. He continued.

“That’s the right direction of things, Bokuto. Keep your mind clear, focus and just be yourself. Bokuto Koutarou is the Ace exactly because he is himself. All of these people in there came to watch you play. Don’t disappoint them by delivering a game full of uncertainty. Be strong.”

Tsukishima saw the moment his words got to Koutarou’s mind properly. His eyes, empty just moments ago now shone with the fire usually donning his aura. Kei smirked in triumph and reached behind his back. With nimble fingers, the blonde pulled at a buckle or two and places his other hand underneath Hitoka, to support her once the carrier was loosened. With quick movements and tender touches, he placed the baby in Bokuto’s surprised hold.

“This is Hitoka’s first ever Volleyball game. Make it count.” 

Bokuto grinned and hollered in excitement. His blood felt like it wa boiling. He felt pumped up.

“Bobo, love.” 

Just hearing her say his name and he could cry. The bulky headphones were in the way but he still managed to cuddle her good. 

When he threw himself at Kei, the blond man protested, grumbling all the while melting in Bokuto’s hold.

“Uh, Bokuto-san? Uhm, you have to line up in two minutes.” A timid voice broke the moment. The two men looked at the young boy, who was nervously avoiding eye contact. Bokuto nodded and returned Hitoka to Kei with a last kiss to both of them.

“Oya oya oya! Watch me win, Tsukki! And tell Kuroo to count how many times I spike the ball!”

Koutarou ran away with a final wave and a loud cheer. Kei stood alone in the hallway. He snuggled Hitoka before setting her in the carrier. His cheeks were red and his mouth was turned upwards.

“Papa, love.”

Kei’s smile got even bigger and he took one tiny hand to land a sloppy kiss on it. “Papa loves you, too.”

Hitoka giggled and kicked her feet in joy.

The hallway was still empty, except for one tall black-haired figure around a nearby corner. Kuroo’s body tingled with anticipation and complicated feelings. He had witnessed the dear moment between Bokuto and Kei. He felt charged with their energy. He couldn’t wait to see what fate had in store for the three of them.

Later, after a long battle, Bokuto hit the winning point. His roar was louder than the crowd. The sheer glee in his soul could be detected even from afar.

In the stands, Kuroo and Kei grabbed each other. That win felt like something more than just points flashing on a scoreboard. It felt exhilarating. It was theirs, because Bokuto was theirs. 

* * *

Sleep lifting its grasp from your consciousness is a moment out of time. It doesn’t belong to being asleep, you aren’t exactly awake either. It is a peaceful bit of belonging to a soothing gratification. Your body is heavy as is your mind. It’s like your whole being is in synch in a way that it usually isn’t. Reality slowly makes itself present and you loose that short timeless feeling. 

The first thing Kei became aware of were the loud whispers.

“Shhh, Toka-chan, Papa is napping.” 

Hitoka giggled in answer. Her ringing voice carried through the air and in Kei’s heart like sweet honey. 

Kei opened his eyes and blearly blinked. He didn’t feel exhausted. The deep tiredness from a few months ago was long gone. He felt somehow lighter and dare he say, happy.

“Bobo, play, play!”

The smile on his face grew. Distantly, he made out the steady melody of Kuroo’s guitar. Quietly, Kei pushed the bedroom door open and leaned against the doorframe. The sun was basking the room in light. The walls were decorated with numerous picture frames. All kinds of photos of friends and family. 

Bokuto was on the floor with Hitoka in his lap, a baby book opened in front of them. It was the animals book. Kuroo had brought it one day, saying that Hitoka needs normal books or she would start thinking all animals were enormous reptiles with teeth bigger than her legs. The colorful book had grabbed her attention from the get-go and Kuroo spent the whole evening reading it to her and playing with the sounds it made for each animal.

The artificial mooing of a cow filled the space. It was followed by Bokuto’s impersonation and then Hitoka’s laughter. From the balcony, Kuroo chuckled and strummed something on his guitar. The music was soft.

Tsukishima bit his lips. With a heart full of warmth, he joined his family. They welcomed him with happy exclamations. The silence in here was long forgotten. It existed only in Kei’s bad memories of  _ before _ .

The digital clock on the microwave counted the passing minutes. Five, ten, fifteen. Each second was full of life. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! I'll be happy to hear your thoughts :)
> 
> Here we are, at the end. I hope you liked this small story of fluff and some angst and baby Hitoka. I may make this a series and maybe add some oneshots, so this is not the last peek in this lovely family's shenanigans. Thank you all for not giving up on Tsukki :) I loved reading your lovely words after each chapter ♡( ◡‿◡ )
> 
> Stay healthy, stay safe and have a great week!
> 
> PS: My headcanon for this is that Hitoka will torture Kuroo some more and then out of the blue she would start calling him 'daddy'. Of course, he would cry, duh. (Bobo ftw)


End file.
